Fallout 3 - Comments from Desslock

As for Qt3's registration process, I thought it was expressed in the FAQ. Could be wrong though, but I remember reading details on it somewhere when I was considering getting an account, then thought better of it.

— You know the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts to fit their views, which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering.

Er…OT…again, sorry with that but we cannot discuss this issue there in QT3…obviously.

Originally Posted by Gallifrey
As for Qt3's registration process, I thought it was expressed in the FAQ. Could be wrong though, but I remember reading details on it somewhere when I was considering getting an account, then thought better of it.

I might be missing something but the quote below is what I can get from their FAQ about registration.

In order to fully utilize the abilities of this forum, the administrator will probably require that you register as a member. Registration is free, and allows you to do the following:
Post new threads
Reply to other peoples' threads
Edit your posts
Receive email notification of replies to posts and threads you specify
Send private messages to other members
Enter events in the forum calendar
Set up a 'buddy-list' to quickly see which of your friends are currently online

To register, you will need to specify a username and password, and a valid email address. Entering your email address will not leave you open to 'spam', as you can choose to hide your email address, and messages sent to you via email do not reveal your address to the sender in any case. (To verify this, you can try sending an email message to another user.) The administrator may have configured the forum to send you the final part of the registration process by email, so ensure that the email address you provide is valid and working.

If you are under the age of 13, the administrator may require that a parent or guardian provides consent before allowing you to complete the registration process. More information about this is available during the registration process.

Seriously, from security point of view, it is common sense that we shouldn't tell our personal details on the net. So, basically, the door is closed to people with basic security policy.

I repeat that I have no intention of criticizing QT forum but it's privacy policy is rather idiosyncratic at least.

It was definitely Tom who contacted you. He does have an idosyncratic veting process — there have been some problems in the past with posters just trolling or harrassing other posters, and eventually Tom decided that rather than continue to permit it, he would start giving those posters warnings to discontinue their behaviour, or they would be banned from the board. I know it's not a step he wanted to take, but he ultimately decided it made for a better overall atmosphere.

In any event, once he took that step, he introduced registration veting — basically he's just trying to ensure that people who were banned don't try to re-register under a new account name and get up to the same mischief again. So he really just wants to know who you are, in general terms, and how you found out about the board, etc. You shouldn't have to give any detailed personal information that you'd feel uncomfortable disclosing, and if you feel some questions are too personal, you should just indicate that fact in your response. All he really wants is to ensure is that you have a "real" e-mail address (not one you've just mocked up from hotmail, etc.) because, frankly, people are less likely to act goofy and feel more accountable if they haven't given something completely fabricated for the occasion.

I know Tom very well, and there is no chance whatsoever that he would abuse or disclose any information.

Thank you for the explanation, Desslock.
Security experts repeatedly tell us that we shouldn't give away our ISP's e-mail address easily on the net. I was simply spooked when TomChick began to ask me what I am while barely introducing himself. I tried to contact with other moderators but he seems to be the only moderator. So, I took my precaution. However, I could find no trace of abuse of private information from the site or sources outside of it. In fact, WOT still tells the site is trustworthy.

According to the explanations form some people here, TomChick seems to have earned enough trust from other forum members to do things in his way. I guess I'll "do as the Romans do" when I feel like to join a topic next time. However, by now, I guess I am accustomed to be a read-only lurker there.

In any case, thank you for solving a mystery. Believe me, this had puzzled me for quite a long time.

Again, sorry for being off-topic and hopefully this solved misunderstanding about QT3 boards to those who felt left in darkness like myself.